Hope still has a place
by Lusse Eldalion
Summary: Legolas is in a human city, attending a council, when the king orders his arrest. Estel, the twins, Elrond and Thranduil must recue him before it's too late.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **The Lord of the Rings and all its characters are not mine...what a pity!

Hope still has a place

Chapter 1

Legolas looked at the man who was talking. One more day. One more day and all would be finished. In one day, he would be riding to Imladris, where he would join his father and friends. Estel and the twins were going to be very happy to see him again. As he was.

"But now, stop thinking" he told himself "and focus on the council"

Thranduil had asked him some days ago to go to Deul, a small city next to Mirkwood, to the meeting that they always held once a year. It was nothing but a routine, to see if the peace and the deal they had signed were still firm. Everything seemed to go perfectly fine, except for one thing. The King of Deul had died some months ago, and a new one was about to be proclaimed. The future king was supposed to see Legolas one of these days, or so he had been told, but he had not appeared and it was the last day of the prince in the city. He had not bothered to ask, because he liked the counselor and he didn't really need to see the king. He was a bit curious, but he could deal with it, he would not delay his journey to Imladris.

"So all is clear, isn't it, my prince? The counselor said.

"Yes, it is. You will continue sending the wine, and we will continue killing orcs".

"Perfect, your highness."

Suddenly, three guards entered into the room followed by a man with a crown. The counselor stood up.

"My king! What a surprise! But…what are you doing?"

The guards grabbed Legolas by the arms.

"What…what are you doing!?"he asked as he started to struggle.

"Legolas, prince of Mirkwood, you're under arrest" said the king.

The counselor was shocked for a moment, and said "But, my king! It must be a mistake…"

"No mistake" shouted at him "the prince is under arrest"

Legolas couldn't believe it. The guards started to drag him along the corridor.

"Why!?" he shouted.

"Because I say so" said the king calmly.

"Are you mad!? You are going to start a war!" he shouted at him, still struggling. A strange glow in the king's eyes and his smile made Legolas' heart forget how to beat for a second. All of a sudden he had realized what was going on.

"You _want_ a war.." he whispered, while the soldiers closed behind them the doors of the dungeons, and he was led to somewhere in a complete darkness.

_**TBC**_

…..

Ok, what do you think? It's my first fanfiction and English is not my first language, so if you find some mistakes, please do not think I don't know how to write. Reviews will be really welcome. Please be gentle; however, I accept critics if they help me to write better. Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

Chapter 2

All his escort could see that Thranduil was thinking. And, at that moment, he could only be thinking in one thing. Or in one elf. Legolas. The king and his heir had agreed that they would meet at the end of the forest, and they would ride together to Imladris. But the prince had not appeared. They had been waiting a whole day, and Legolas had not appeared.

"Maybe he forgot about the meeting and he is already in Imladris" the king had thought.

He was thinking that it was really strange that Legolas had forgotten about the appointment, because his son knew perfectly well how his father got when he was worried about him.

"I hope he is well. Yes, surely he is. He knows how to take care of himself"; suddenly, the sarcastic part of his brain said "does he?" he smiled.

It was not that he didn't trust his son. No. Legolas was a great warrior, and a clever one. But his son had shown during his life that he attracted problems like honey attracts bears.

"He is well, my king, I'm sure about that". That voice startled him. He looked around and found Voronda, the loyal captain of the company, and one of his dearest friends. Thranduil said: "I hope you're right, Voronda. I really hope you're right"

They arrived to Imladris some days later. Since the moment they had seen the city, Thranduil had rode faster and faster. The soldiers did not say anything, but they were smiling inwardly. The king was too worried.

The company stopped, and Elrond, Estel, Elrohir and Elladan appeared and walked towards them.

"Legolas is not with them" noticed Thranduil, and he winced.

The king approached them.

"Welcome, my old friend, to my house" said Elrond with a smile.

"Yes, yes, hello to you too Elrond. Well, where is my son?"

The smile on the face of the three elves and the human faded.

"What do you mean?" asked Estel. Thranduil's heart became faster.

"What do you mean with what do you mean?" they looked at him as if he was crazy "he is…he is here, isn't him?

Elrond looked at Thranduil.

"Here? We thought he was travelling with _you_" he said.

"He was in Deul, in a council, and we agreed to meet at the end of the forest, but when he didn't appear we went on, thinking that maybe he had forgotten and he was here. Oh Valar! What has he done now!? What have _I_ done to deserve that!?"

"Well, Thranduil, maybe he has been delayed for some reason" said Elladan.

"We waited a whole day and he did not appear" Thranduil replied.

"Maybe a day is not enough. Maybe he has been delayed for more days"

"Maybe, and most probable, he is somewhere lost, hurt and captive" the king said.

"But surely he is with an escort" Elrohir asked.

"No, he is not. You know how he hates having an escort. He said that he was not a child anymore and that he would surely be able to ride in the forest alone without elves watching his every movement. Now I know that he is not"

"And you acceded and allowed him to go without an escort? I cannot believe Thranduil"

"He repeated it for days!"

"Maybe we should go into the house and talk in the chamber" said Elrond, noticing that a big number of elves were starting to approach them.

While they were walking along the corridor, they decided that if the prince didn't appear in two days, they would go to search him.

…

The soldiers pushed Legolas into a dark cell and locked the door behind them. The prince stood up and looked around. The cell was a small one, without windows. He tried to open the door, but it was impossible, it was strongly locked.

"It is made of iron, elf. If you try to open it you will be wasting your time… the little one you have until my king decide what to do with you!" The soldier's voice was followed by a laugh and by the noise of the dungeons' door closing.

"Ha ha, very funny…shut up." thought the prince. But he knew he was right. The door was impossible to open, at least from inside, and surely he couldn't convince any guard to open it from outside. No, his escape would not be so easy.

"It is…impossible your highness … I suppose you're king Thranduil or prince Legolas…are you not?"

Legolas jumped when he heard the voice. He looked around again, but he could not see anyone.

"Am I getting crazy? So soon? I've only been here for a few minutes!" he thought.

"Your highness?... are you there?" asked the voice again.

"Yes… yes…I'm here. Where are you?" said Legolas.

"In the next cell… are you king Thranduil?"

"No, I'm not. I'm prince Legolas. Who are you? And why are you in a cell?"

"I'm the king's counselor"

"What?! The king puts his counselors in cells?" asked a very surprised Legolas.

"Of course not!... I'm not the new and false king's counselor"

Legolas' eyes opened wide.

"What do you mean with false?"

"I mean exactly that, false… Oh, by the way… I'm here because I witnessed my king's murder"

…..

Well? What do you think? Critics, advices? Review with your opinion, please. Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"The murder of your king?" asked Legolas.

"Yes…he was murdered…by Erew's soldiers"

"Erew is the new king"

"Yes, he is. I heard him giving the orders. I…I was in the corridor, when I heard his voice commanding his soldiers to kill the king. Then I ran…to my king's chamber, but I couldn't arrive at time. I didn't know that it had a secret corridor. When I entered the room…well, what a mess…and the blood…it covered the bed where my king was laying. He wasn't dead, not yet. He grabbed me, and put his mouth next to my ear. He…whispered that his brother had betrayed him and…

"Wait, I don't understand. What do you mean with his _brother_? I thought you said that Erew killed him."

"I did. Erew is his brother"

"So…the king was killed by his own brother!?"

"He was"

"I cannot believe it…" Legolas whispered "how much cruelty can the men's hearts contain?"

"A rotten heart is like an abysm of cruelty… and Erew's one is well rotten. Well, the king said that Erew had betrayed him and that I was his… his heir. At that very moment he…died. Horrified, I watched his body for a few seconds when, suddenly, the door opened and Erew appeared with six guards. When he saw me, his eyes showed disconcert, surely because he didn't expect me to be there. But then he approached to the bed and saw his brother, he closed his eyes and pretended to cry. After a few seconds, he turned and said: '_the king has been murdered, arrest his killer'. _He pointed at me and said: 'Y_ou…assassin! '_I couldn't believe it. Before I could say anything, Nilen, Erew's only son, appeared. I will never forget his expression. When he saw his uncle dead, his eyes sparkled with tears; he went to the bed and fell on the floor, where he started to cry. In sobs, he said: '_Who has done this?' _Erew looked at me. Nilen followed his gaze. '_I can't believe it…it's impossible…'_ he said. Nilen and I had been friends since he was born, I was his tutor. He stood up and walked towards me. '_Please' _he begged '_please, tell me that you have not killed my beloved uncle…please!'_ I told him that I hadn't killed his uncle. Then Erew said _'You killed my brother. Moments before you committed the horrible crime, I found a note on my desk. It was from my brother. He told me that he was afraid of you, that he thought you wanted to kill him.'_ At that moment, Nilen fell on his knees and started to cry again. I looked at Erew and asked '_how can you-? _But before I could say another word, he came and hit me on the head, leaving me unconscious. When I regained consciousness, I was here. I have not seen Erew or his son."

Legolas thought for a few seconds on the story he had just been told. The he said "So now everybody thinks you're the killer while the real one is reigning over them."

"Yes"

"But…I don't understand why he wants a war against Mirkwood"

"I cannot answer that question. Maybe he wants all the forest for him"

"But he is crazy! Deul is a city. Mirkwood is a reign. Deul cannot win Mirkwood. It's impossible!"

"I know. I've tried to talk with the guards, to tell them that they're obeying a traitor and a crazy man, but they don't listen to me."

"Well. My father will notice my absence. Surely he will come one of this days to ask for me and…oh Valar…he will kill him" Legolas went pale when he realized the plan of Erew. "Oh Valar… he is using me as a bait. He wants my father to come here thinking that all is secure. Then he will kill him. Mirkwood won't have his king, neither his heir, all will be a chaos for some days. And he will… he will attack…and everything is going to be a disaster and….oh Valar"

The two prisoners went into silence, the elf thinking in his father and in the terrible fate that was waiting for him if he didn't do something, the man respecting his silence, knowing that it was a hard moment for the prince.

At last, after a few minutes, Legolas talked.

"Well…let's think…my father will not be here until some days, because he is in Imladris, so we have at least three or four days-"

"I'm sorry, my prince, but I think you're in a mistake."

"What do you mean?"

"My prince. Yesterday…well, yesterday a guard came and told me that, according to the new law, I will be executed soon."

"What?! Executed?!... but surely it will take place in some weeks. True?"

"I'm sorry, my prince. I will be executed tomorrow. At dawn."

"No… that's impossible…I…I'm sorry…"

"Don't be. I'm not afraid of death; I think that death smiles to everyone, so let's smile it back. But now, listen carefully. I'm sure that Nilen will come to see you one of these days. You must tell him what I've told you. All the story. I'm sure he won't believe you in that moment. After all, you will be telling that his father is the assassin. Difficult to swallow, no doubt. Don't worry. He will return. And he will ask you how you know it. Tell him. Oh…and tell him that it was not his fault. That my death is not his fault. And that I always loved him like the son I never had. Remember that he is a good boy with a bad father. But, my prince, don't despair. Even if all seems to go horribly wrong, don't despair. Remember me. Death is only a few hours far, but, even now, hope still has a place in my heart.

….

"Thranduil… be calm, it is only three hours since you arrived. Legolas must be about to appear" Elrond tried to calm the king.

"Or can be about to die" Thranduil said.

Elladan looked at Elrohir, who looked at Aragorn. The three brothers were nervous too. Knowing his friend, every incident that happened to him, finished with complete disaster. To be true, even Elrond was nervous, but if he showed them that he was, everybody would grow into a panic.

"Let's have dinner. I'm sure Legolas will arrive tonight"

_**TBC**_

….

Well?... What's your opinion? Review please!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter four**

Some hours after the councilor had told Legolas that he would die at dawn, the soldiers came and open the door of his cell.

"It's the hour, Rague" said one of them. 'So Rague is his name' thought Legolas.

"I know"

The prince heard how the soldiers put the chains around his hands. When they went out of the cell, Legolas could see the face of his friend through the small window on the door. He was an ancient man, with a white beard. He looked at his eyes and was surprised, because Rague's eyes showed not fear. However, they were full of sadness. The councilor looked at Legolas.

"Death is nothing but the beginning, my prince", said him.

"The beginning of what?" asked a voice suddenly. Rague looked at the king, who had appeared at the end of the stairs.

"The beginning of a life without traitors, for example" Rague stared at the king with ferocity. The tension was palpable. All of sudden, Erew approached the councilor. They were face to face. Legolas could hear what they said.

"Or the end of it" whispered Erew.

"All the same" replied Rague "tell me, how much more grief are you going to cause to your son?"

"It's in your hands. My soldiers are loyal to me. You're the only one who can tell him the truth. I love my son, Rague, you can believe or not, but I do."

"I never realized how much pain can truth bring and, at the same time, how necessary it is" said the Councelor. Erew separated from him.

"You have realized it too late, my friend. I did many years ago" he looked at the guards "Carry him to the square".

"Rague!" called the prince. The man looked at him "Good luck. I'll not for forget you"

He smiled and crossed the door which led to the square. Legolas could hear the shouts calling him traitor. Erew looked at Legolas.

"I'm sure that Rague has told you everything. I cannot kill you just now. You'd better not saying anything to my son"

"Why did you kill your brother? Why do you want a war with my realm?"

"So many questions, and so little time to answer them. What a pity" With that he turned around and went to the square, where he was greeted by his people, who were acclaiming him. The cell had not wall windows, but Legolas didn't need them to know what was happening. The shouts stopped at once. Surely they would be putting the rope around his neck.

Outside, Nilen looked how his teacher, his friend, was led to his death. 'He is a traitor, Nilen, he deserves it' the young man clenched his finchs and his jaw 'but…is him the real traitor?' The rope was now around his neck. 'Damn it! What should I do?' His tutor turned around, looked at him and shouted:

"I'm not the traitor! If you want to know the truth, you must be prepared for it!" Nilen was sure that he was talking to him "Look for and you will find it. Be strong!" At that time the executor opened the trapdoor and Rague fell. Nilen looked away. Legolas closed his eyes. Erew smiled and later he said:

"Law has been complied" Everybody shouted and acclaimed their king.

…

**A day later**

"That's it. I cannot wait. I'll go to Deul and I will ask for my son. Surely they had seen him"

"But Thranduil" said Elrond "we said two days. It has only passed one."

"Elrond, my old friend, do you really think that he is alright and about to arrive? Do you really think that he has only been delayed?" asked the king with an ironical tone. The Lord thought for some seconds and said:

"No, you're right. I'll prepare everything. Oh, and I will tell Elladan, Elrohir, Estel and Glorfindel, surely they will want to come with us" Elrond stood up and left the room.

'Oh, my reckless son. What have you done now?'

The three brothers were outside when they heard their father calling for them. They met him.

"We are going to search Legolas, are you coming?"

"Of course!" said them at once.

"Well, go to prepare yourself and later go to the healing ward and catch everything you think could be necessary. Remember that is Legolas we are talking about. I'm going to find Glofindel."

"Very well, ada"

**A few hours later**

"Well, let's go!" Elrond shouted.

A group of horses with their riders started to walk. Elrond, the twins, Estel, Thranduil and Glorfindel were riding all together.

"So… are we going to Deul?" asked Estel.

"We are" said the king.

"Where do you think he is?" asked Elrohir.

"I hope he is in the city" replied Thranduil "however, I think he is not. He will not be spared from my lecture"

"We don't know if is his fault" said Elladan" maybe he could do nothing"

"Never mind. He will not spare it"

The elves and the human smiled.

The party had rode for some hours before the sun rose from behind the eastern ridge.

….

Advices? Critics? Opinions? Review please. Thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

"_Law has been complied" "Look for the truth!" "Be strong!"_

Nilen opened his eyes with a start. He wiped his face with his hand. Memories were haunting him. Memories of him with his tutor, when he was only an impertinent child, running, playing, joking and at the same time learning. He had to recognize that Rague had been the best of the tutors. And now he was dead. Suddenly a picture of his mother came to his mind. His beloved mother. He still could remember the day when his father had come to his bedroom. He was only fourteen. His father's face was covered with tears. They had sat on Nilen's bed and Erew had told his son that his mother was dead. She had been killed by a party of orcs who were supposed to be dead. Or so Mirkwood's elves had said. Some days later, Thranduil, Mirkwood's king, had come and explained that the orcs that killed his mother weren't the same ones that they had killed before. Everybody understood, even Nilen, but his father didn't. He thought that the elves were the only responsibles of his wife's death. From that moment, nothing was going to be the same again. Erew would do everything to have his revenge over Mirkwood. _Everything. _Nilen closed his eyes again.

'No' he thought 'my father has done nothing. He is innocent. The only guilty is…was…Rague'

The man turned around and tried to sleep again, though he knew it was not possible.

In the cell, Legolas was looking the dim moonlight that filtered through the corridor's window. He couldn't sleep. He was wondering what his father and friends would be thinking. Surely they would be frenetic. He smiled to himself; he was not afraid of Erew, he only wished that all ended soon. And without deaths. His smile vanished. He was really worried about his father. If he knew him well, and he did, he should be undoubtedly riding towards the city at that very moment. And with him would be Estel, the twins and maybe Glorfindel. And all of them were in danger. He had to do something, but what?

'What do I have to do?' though the prince.

...

'What do I have to do?' thought Nilen. He looked at the moon, surrounded by the stars. 'What do I have to do? Oh, dear uncle, dear mother, what am I supposed to do?'

At that moment, the wind blew and moved the leaves of the trees. He remembered the elf in the cell.

"The elf?" he said "the elf that I'm not allowed to talk with?"

The wind blew again. Nilen sighed and got up from his bed. 'This must be a joke' he thought.

"Very well. I only hope that father doesn't catch me, because if he does…" he said to himself.

...

Legolas heard the stealthy footsteps coming downstairs. He opened his eyes but he did not move.

"Wake up, elf" whispered a voice. He moved and looked at the man who was near his cell. Nilen could see the eyes of the prisoner, shining like two diamonds.

"Yes? Who are you?" said the prince.

"I'm Nilen" When Legolas heard the name, he stood up and went nearer.

"You are Erew's son"

"Yes, I am" Nilen was going to add something, but he realized that he didn't know what to say. He could not say 'I'm here because I asked my mother and uncle, who are dead, what to do and the wind blew moving the trees and I remembered you, so I assumed that was their answer and that's the reason I'm here'

"I've to talk to you" said Legolas. Nilen sighed with relief; after all, he had not been so crazy listening to the trees "Before Rague died, he told me a lot of things. But first of all, I have to warn you: it won't be easy; you must be ready."

'_Be strong!' _the last words of his tutor came to his mind once more.

"I am" Nilen's answer was to both warnings, his tutor's and the elf's one

Legolas looked at him and started.

"Rague had been summoned by your uncle. Suddenly, he heard a voice coming from inside a chamber; it was giving orders to kill the king. He tried to open the door, but it was locked, so he ran towards your uncle's chamber; but it was too late: the king had been stabbed; this castle must have so many hidden corridors. However, the king was still alive and had the strength to say that Rague was the heir- "

"What?!" Nilen couldn't believe. The king had not been married, so in was obvious that his father, the king's brother, was the only legitimate heir!

"Let me finish. After that, the king died. At that moment your father came and arrested Rague for the murder."

The man shook his head in bewilderment.

"What you are saying is terrible. Rague died for a mistake."

The prince looked down.

"Maybe it was not a mistake…" he said.

"What do you mean? Who…who gave the order?" Nilen was afraid of the answer.

" Rague told me that… that your father was the one who gave it"

Nilen took a step back. He tried to say something, but he couldn't find the words.

"I'm sorry" Legolas whispered.

"I….I can't…No! NO I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! YOU'RE LYING!"

Legolas looked at him.

"Why is everyone causing me such a grief?... I beg you. I've heard that the elves do not lie, but if you're doing it, please tell me. You've no idea of the pain I've passed through these days…"

"I wouldn't say such a thing if it wasn't true"

Nilen shook his head. His eyes were filled with tears.

"You're lying… my father was right…elves are not so wonderful…" whispered the man "I hate you…I HATE YOU!" he turned around and left the dungeons, almost running.

Legolas looked at the door at the top of the stairs. His eyes were full of sadness. 'I hope you were right, Rague. I hope he will understand'

Nilen walked to his chamber. If someone had seen him, could have noticed that his prince's eyes were full of tears. But nobody was in the corridors, and he was grateful for that. Once he was in his room, he closed the door quietly and leaned back on it, facing the window in front of him. Some seconds later, he threw himself on his bed and cried like he had not done since the death of his mother. The silent moon and the stars were the only witnesses of his tears.

….

Well? What do you think of the poor Nilen? Have mercy and send a review with your opinion! Thank you!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

"We will arrive at dusk" said Elrond. They had been riding nonstop since the brief rest they had taken four hours ago.

"Well" said Thranduil "I think…well I hope that the king of Deul knows something about my son".

He didn't know how right he was.

...

"Good morning, Nilen" said Erew.

His son didn't say anything, he just nodded. The king frowned. 'How strange' he thought 'Well, maybe he still is sleepy'

But at dinner time, Nilen couldn't be sleepy anymore, and his behavior was still strange. At least that thought the king. He had been watching secretly his son and he noticed that he was…thoughtful. Very thoughtful. Strangely thoughtful. He had not paid attention to his many duties during the day. The king was going to the dining hall, where he hoped to find his heir and they would talk. Suddenly he heard a whisper:

"No, I can't tell him. You know how the king gets when someone disobeys him." Erew stopped. The voice was coming from the garden. He went near a balcony.

"But if he discovers it, he will be mad at you. Surely you don't want it." Said another voice.

"I know but…" It was clear that the voice's owner could not decide about telling or not something to Erew. So Erew decided for him.

"Tell me what?" said him as he walked out to the balcony. He looked at the soldiers, who were looking at him terrified.

"My…king!" said one of them "I…we didn't know you were there"

"It's obvious you didn't, if you had known, you wouldn't have been talking about something that you must tell me right now. Well? Who is going to tell it to me?"

The guards looked at each other.

"You were the one who saw it. You have to speak" said one of them. The other one looked at him.

"But…" it was plain that he was completely terrified.

"Are you deaf?! SPEAK NOW!" Erew was losing his patience. The two guards flinched.

"My…my king…well, last night, while I was walking towards my chamber, I saw how your son left the dungeons. I was going to ask him what he was doing there when I saw that his eyes were filled with tears. Then, I remembered that you had told the prince that he couldn't talk to the elf and, right now, he is the only prisoner, so I assumed that he had talked to him. My king, I was going to tell it to you, I swear it! But…"

Erew was not paying attention to his soldier. On one side, he was angry with his son for disobeying him; on the other, he was worried about what the elf could have told to his heir. But one thing was clear. He was going to talk with that elf. No, he would do more than that. He would do the elf regret what he had done. The king turned around and went inside the palace again. At that moment a servant approached him and said:

"My king. The prince has asked me to tell you that, with your permission, he won't have dinner. He says he's not hungry"

The king's face turned red with anger.

"Take the prisoner to the throne room" he said.

...

Legolas was bored. 'It's incredible' he had thought 'that with all that is happening I can get bored' But he was. And he couldn't do anything. He had tried for hours to find a way out of there, but the only thing he had found was that it was impossible to open the door from inside. So he had sat on his bed and waited. Suddenly, he heard the dungeon's door opening. 'Well, it seems that something is going to happen at last' he thought. Two guards went to his cell, opened the door and grabbed the prince.

"The king wants to see you" said one of them "I wouldn't like to be in your place even if they offered me all the gold in Mirkwood_"_

The other soldier chuckled.

...

"The elf is here, your majesty"

"Bring him here" said Erew. He watched the prince as he was dragged inside. "Now go away. I want to speak to him alone"

Once everybody was out, he stood up and approached Legolas.

"You know that I have a son, don't you?" Legolas nodded "well…today he is behaving strangely"

"Really?" asked the prince "well, maybe he doesn't feel well"

"Shut up!" said the king as he slapped him "you will talk when I say. Casually, last night a guard saw him leaving the dungeons. With his eyes filled with tears. I wonder if you told him anything."

"About what?" asked Legolas. The king slapped him again.

"You know about what! Answer me!" he was getting really angry.

"You mean about your crime! Are you asking me if I told the truth to your son!? Well, if you want to know, I'm going to tell it…I DID!"

Erew was out of his wits with anger.

"YOU HAVE CONDEMNED YOURSELF!" he shouted. The king drew his sword. Legolas went some steps back. He had nothing to defend himself! But suddenly a servant entered into the room and shouted:

"My king! They are here! The Mirkwood's king and the Lords of Rivendell are here!" Legolas took advantage of the confusion. He ran and left the room. He heard the voice of the king ordering his guards to follow him.

The main aim of the prince was to tell his father he was entering a trap. He ran towards the garden. Two soldiers were chasing him. When he reached the big garden, he saw his adar and friends. Fortunately the palace was in the high part of the town, so maybe, if he shouted enough, they could heard him.

"ADAAAA!" shouted Legolas as he started to climb the small hill that was in the middle of the garden. It was the higher place in the town. From there he could see everything. He saw the small army -or big escort- of his father approaching Deul, and on the other side of the wall that surrounded the city, he saw all the soldiers prepared for the fight. If his friends were not prepared for it, they would die easily. "ADAAAA!" The king didn't hear him. "DAMN IT ADA! LISTEN TO ME!" The prince could see how Deul's soldiers drew their swords, and the archers tensed their bows. Meanwhile, the elves were almost at the town's doors and the soldiers who were chasing him were now reaching him "NO, NO, NO! ADAAA! LISTEN TO ME! PLEASEEEE!"

Thranduil turned his head. He could swear that he had heard his son's voice.

"HERE ADA! I'M HERE!"

"What in the Middle Earth-?" asked the king. He saw how Elrond and the twins were looking for the voice's owner. Suddenly he saw his son at the top of a hill. He commanded to stop. He was really relieved seeing that his son was alright. Elrond, the twins, Estel and Glorfindel approached him.

"He is there" said Elladan "It seems that he is trying to say something…"

All of them watched the way that Legolas was gesturing.

"What is he doing?" asked Glorfindel.

...

'At last' thought Legolas when his father saw him. He was shouting that they were going into a trap, but they didn't hear him. How could he make them understand? Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his arm, everything went blurry for a moment and the next thing he noticed was that he was falling downhill.

...

Thranduil couldn't believe what his eyes told him. One second ago, his son was saying something to them and now he was falling with an arrow in his arm.

"LEGOLAS!" he shouted.

"Thranduil! Look!" said Elrond, pointing at Deul's doors. An army of men was running towards them.

'Oh Valar' he thought.

"Everybody!" shouted Elrohir "Draw your swords!"

One second later, all the elves were armed and waited the inevitable clash.

...

'The two guards! Oh, how can I have forgotten the two guards?!' thought Legolas. He was lying on the soft grass. He tried to stand up, but a firm hand stopped him.

"You thought you would escape from us, elf?" said a voice. The prince looked at the guard who was standing over him. The man drew his sword. "Are you prepared to die?"

"STOP!" Nilen's voice startled them. The man approached with his sword in his hand.

"I'll kill him myself" Nilen told the guard. Legolas looked at him.

"As you wish, my prince" said the soldier.

"Go inside and tell my father that the elf is dead. Go, now!" Nilen looked at Legolas. The guards left them. "Well, prince. You almost fooled me. But no, my father could not do a thing like that. My father is innocent and now you're going to pay for what you said."

Legolas could see death on Nilen's eyes.

"I told you the truth. You must believe me" said the elf prince.

"You never get tired of lying, do you? But now I'll put a stop to this." The man raised his sword.

...

Thranduil dodged his enemy's sword and struck the fatal blow. He had never liked to kill men, but in those moments there was no choice. He looked to the garden where he had seen his son fall and he got frozen when he saw a man raising his sword against his son.

"No, No! LEGOLAS!" he shouted. But inwardly, he knew that he couldn't do anything to stop that blow.

...

"Close your eyes, prince. This isn't going to be nice to see" said Nilen.

"No. If you don't mind, I prefer to be face to face with death" Nilen looked surprised with the answer.

"Very well" said the man.

'Rague, you were wrong' thought Legolas 'I'm sorry, ada. Bye, my friends'

"LEGOLAS! NO!" Thranduil was terrified.

The prince took a last look at the sky 'Naneth, in a few seconds I'll be with you', he thought. Then he looked at Nilen and waited for the arrival of Death's cold breath.

…...

I think Legolas has a big problem. Do you think he will be saved? Do you wish him to be saved? Review with your opinion, please! Thank you!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter seven**

Nilen looked to the right while he was still raising his sword.

"Well, I think they are gone" he whispered, as he put aside the weapon "Let's see your arm. It must be a painful wound"

Legolas was too much astonished to answer. Nilen looked at him.

"Can I see your wound?" said the man. This time, Legolas answered.

"Wha…what is going on? Are you not going to kill me?" he asked. Nilen smiled.

"Of course I'm not going to kill you!" the man knelt next to Legolas "I heard my father talking to you this evening. I heard what he said. And then I understood that you were right, that Rague didn't kill my uncle, that my… my father did it"; Nilen looked to the ground sadly.

"I'm sorry Nilen. I know it must be hard"

"Yes, well…" the man shook his head "I'm sorry for this farce. I had to fool the guards."

"I thought you were going to kill me! I think I have never been so convinced of my death!" said Legolas smiling. Suddenly a sharp pain made him remember that he had an arrow on his arm. He couldn't repress a groan.

"I'm sorry, I forgot for a moment that you were wounded" the man grabbed the arrow "this is going to be quite painful" Legolas nodded.

"I know, it's not the first time."

"Well, let's go" Nilen held Legolas down with one hand while with the other one pulled out the arrow. Legolas closed his eyes and pressed his lips, but he couldn't restrain a soft whimper.

"That's it" said the man while pressing a cloth against the wound "It will bleed a little, but I can't do anything else right now"

"Don't worry, I'm fine" Legolas stood up with the help of Nilen.

"We must stop the battle" Nilen said "I'll order my men to stop the fight, but I'm afraid we'll have to get a little closer to them. Men have not that wonderful elvish ear"

…

Thranduil thought that he had gone mad. First his son had appeared out of nowhere on the top of a hill, then an arrow had struck him, later a man had raised his sword against him and finally, the same man that moments ago had been about to kill him, had lowered the weapon and had helped Legolas to get up.

"Thranduil! Look out!" shouted Elrond. The Lord killed the man who held a sword over the king's head and was going to give the fatal blow.

"Have you gone mad? Will you stop looking at the palace and pay attention to the battle?"

"You're right Elrond, I think I'm going crazy," he said; Thranduil raised his sword and began to fight.

Elrond looked at him in confusion for a few seconds before a soldier approached him and he resumed the fight.

…..

"You're a man!" Estel heard these words. Again.

'Yes, yes, I am a man' he thought 'please stop saying that. The battle itself is being hard, I don't need anyone to remember me that I'm killing people of my own race. My _own_ race.' He ducked under the attack of a soldier, and then he gave him a punch. He was trying to knock them out, not to kill them, but sometimes he had no choice but to follow the drastic method, if only to save his own life. 'Yes, but they attacked first!' thought the optimistic part of his brain.

….

Elladan looked at his brother. He understood that it might be difficult to kill your race, but if the man continued taking care of their lives, he would surely lose his.

"Elrohir!" he shouted. His twin made a sweeping movement with his sword, which ended with the blade of the weapon in the belly of the soldier.

"Yes, Elladan?" he said turning to his brother.

"I think our little brother has some problems" Estel had been surrounded by soldiers.

"I agree. I'll take care of the people on the right, you take care of the people on the left".

"Perfect, brother."

…

"This way!" shouted Nilen. Legolas followed him. The man opened a door and they entered he room where the king had been about to kill Legolas some minutes ago. They started to run across it.

"STOP!" a voice startled them. They turned around and looked at the king, who was standing in the right corner with a sword in his hand.

"You are becoming a real nuisance, elf" he said as he approached them "and the nuisances must be eliminated."

Nilen stood before the prince.

"Father, we _must _stop this nonsense before it spills more blood" The king looked annoyed his son; then he stared at Legolas and said:

"What kind of spell have you cast over my son?" It was not Legolas who answered the question, but Nilen.

"One spell called _truth_, father. It's the most dangerous, infectious and painful spell"

"Nilen…" whispered the king.

"But we can still fix it. Make your man stop the fight and let the prince go."

"Then your mother will never get her revenge. I will not do that, my son. Never."

"My mother got her revenge when we killed the orcs that had killed her. Father, do you really think this is what she wanted? All this…destruction, blood…death. I don't know where she is, but I'm sure that she doesn't like what she is seeing."

"Nilen, you were just a child when it happened! Your uncle convinced you of the innocence of the elves because he didn't want to start a war against them! He was afraid of them!"

"Are you calling your brother a _coward_?!" Nilen couldn't believe.

"I'm only saying that he did not dare to declare the war because he was afraid that maybe he would lose his throne if he was defeated! But now, I've the power and I will give your mother the throne of Mirkwood"

"My mother is _dead_, oh father please, open your eyes." Nilen's ones were filled with tears.

"Shut up, Nilen! However, I'll be compassionate. If you, elf, give your soldiers the order of putting aside their weapons and your father gives me the throne, maybe I'll let you stay in Mirkwood and maybe I won't kill many elves." Legolas approached the king.

"We are not as cowards as you are. We prefer to die standing than to live knelt down" Legolas was furious. The king stared at him and then he said:

"Very heroic, prince. Well, you have chosen, you are going to die!" The king raised his sword. Nilen threw his weapon to Legolas. He held it just above his head, stopping the blow that would have been fatal. The king overbalanced for a moment. Then, with a cry of rage, he attacked again. Legolas heard Voronda's, his teacher of weapons, voice, in his mind, saying:

"Never let the feelings direct you in battle. If anger or frustration take hold of you, your opponent will take advantage of it, because you'll be throwing attacks without thinking, and then you may be dead in seconds."

But now, he wasn't the one who was being controlled by the feelings, but the one who was going to take advantage of it. Legolas ducked, causing the king's sword to collide on the ground. The prince kicked him on the side and Erew fell to the ground, dropping the sword, which slid a few feet away.

The king looked up and tried to stand, but the foot that Legolas had put on his back stopped him. Erew looked at the prince and then at his son.

"Nilen! My son! Help me!" Nilen shook his head.

"I'm sorry, father, but I'm not going to help you. Not now."

Legolas bent down to tie the King before he tried to do anything. The prince turned his head to look at Nilen

"Nilen can you-" Suddenly Erew stood up taking advantage of the distraction of Legolas. The elf fell to the ground hitting his wounded arm. The pain spread through every fiber of his body, that seemed to have burst into flames. Suddenly he heard:

"Father NO!". Then a heavy body fell upon him. He felt a strange hot liquid falling on his face. Legolas opened his eyes. He saw Erew, who was looking at the body over him with a look of panic on his face. He held a small knife in his hand. Full of blood. The reality hit Legolas. He looked at the body. It was Nilen. He took it and laid it gently on the ground, completely forgetting his arm, which was bleeding again.

"Nilen…" he whispered. Legolas looked at the wound. It was mortal. The man opened his eyes.

"Fa…father…" Legolas looked at Erew. He didn't move.

"Don't talk, my friend. You're going to be fine" said the prince. Nilen chuckled, but he started to cough.

"I…know…you're…you're lying, elf" Legolas smiled sadly "Father, please…come"

This time, Erew reacted and knelt beside his son. He grabbed his hand and started to cry.

"Shhh…father…don't…cry, please"

"I did it. I stabbed you. It's my fault" he managed to said between sobs.

"It's ok…listen…I'm going with…with mother…and with my uncle…I'll say…them…that you…love them…right?"

"Yes, yes my son" Legolas felt pity for that man.

"Alright...please…tell Nerie…that…I…love her…that I died…thinking of…of her" Legolas opened his eyes very wide. Nilen had a bride!

"I will, Nilen"

"Now…I can… die at …peace." And with that, the prince closed his eyes for the last time.

"No, no, NO!" Erew rested his head on his son's lap and began to mourn again. Legolas stood up and moved away. That man could be a ruthless murderer and a tyrant, but he was also a father. And Legolas knew that the pain of a father in this situation must be unbearable. Although he had known Nilen for a very short time, he was deeply sad for his death and he felt the tears filling his eyes too.

…..

I saved Legolas! But I couldn't save Nilen. Well, what about the chapter? Good? Bad? Reviews are VERY WELL welcomed, so PLEASE review! Thank you!


	8. Chapter 8

_Sorry for the mistakes, I'm not English! :)_

* * *

CHAPTER EIGHT

Erew raised his head and looked at Legolas. The prince was frightened by what he saw in his eyes. Behind all the tears he could recognize the brilliance of a man who had become totally insane.

"You ... You" cried, wiping tears and rising "YOU HAVE KILLED MY SON"

Legolas stepped back.

"ME! But…but…I was on the floor!"

But the king didn't hear anything. He could only think of one thing: if the elf had not been there, his son would be alive. He didn't remember that he had arrested the elf or that his son had died trying to protect Legolas from _him_. Erew approached Legolas menacingly, pulling another knife from his boot.

'But how many knives does this man have' thought the prince.

Suddenly the doors opened and Elrond, Thranduil, the twins and Estel appeared. They smiled, bur their smiles faded when they saw the blood falling from Legolas' arm, the king with a knife and a man dead on the floor. Unexpectedly, Erew jumped roaring. Legolas tried to defend himself and jumped aside, but he was tired and injured, so he couldn't avoid the knife's edge that cut deep in his stomach.

"Legolas!" his friends shouted, running towards him. But he did not see or hear anything else.

….

Elladan punched the king and left him unconscious.

"How is he?" he asked to his father, who was helping the prince.

"Fortunately, it seems that the knife has not done any irreparable damage…"

"But?" asked Estel. There was always a but.

"But he has lost a lot of blood. Especially from his shoulder injury. He will be running a fever in some hours. I have given him an herb to slow it, but we must move now"

"But he is going to live, isn't he?" Thranduil was getting nervous. Elrond sighed.

"I think so." Said Elrond. 'But is Legolas we are talking about. With him you can't be sure of anything.'

…

Voronda and Glorfindel were organizing the small army. Deul's soldiers were much more than them in number, but they were elf warriors and there is more than one difference between human warriors and elf warriors.

"How many from Mirkwood?" asked Glorfindel, talking about the dead.

"Two. Rethal and Anenfel. They were great warriors"

"I'm sorry" Glorfindel knew from own experience that it was hard for a commander to lose some of his soldiers. Fortunately, no elf from Rivendell had died.

"And from Rivendell?"

"No one"

"It's a good new. Talking about good news, Legolas is in the city, isn't he?"

"He is. His father, the twins, Elrond and Estel went to look for him. Do we go to see how he is?"

"Yes."

…..

Voronda and Glorfindel were walking along the corridor. They couldn't find their friends.

"Maybe they are outside?" wondered Glorfindel.

"Maybe. We can go." They turned around and started to walk. And suddenly, turning a corner, they found them. Or rather they collided with them.

"Voronda!" said Thranduil.

"My king! We were looking for you. We wanted to see if Legolas was…ops, I guess he is not well at all." Glorfindel and Voronda looked at the motionless figure that Elrond was carrying.

"You guess it right" said Elladan.

"How bad is he?" Glorfindel looked at Elrond, knowing that the Lord was the most experienced healer. He shrugged.

"He could be worse. But now we must move on. I want to arrive to Imladris as soon as possible. Although is not a life-threating wound, it must be taken care of."

…..

Legolas opened his eyes. He looked around, but he could only see dark. 'Where am I? Why can't I remember anything?' He started to walk as he tried to remember something. 'Let's see, I was in Imladris…no…no, I was not in Imladris…I was _supposed_ to be in Imladris…there was something about a crazy king…and ada…ada…ADA!' he remembered all of sudden. 'Erew was going to kill ada! I must tell him…but where am I?'

…..

"Nothing?" asked Thranduil. They had been riding for almost an hour and Legolas showed no signs of awakening. Glorfindel and Voronda had stayed in Deul with some of the elves to help the councilor that had the control of the city to organize it again. Elrond looked at the prince and then said:

"No, but it's soon to say anything. He can be in a deep sleep that helps him to heal." The king had protested when Elrond had said that he was going to carry Legolas with him in his horse, but he had convinced Thranduil saying that he was a healer and that he could help the prince if it was necessary. Estel and the twins were behind them and they heard their father.

"When do you think he is going to awake?" asked Elrohir.

"Who knows. However, I think it will be better, both for him and for us, that he remains a little longer unconscious. Especially for us. Can you imagine what would be to take him all the way back grumbling because he says he is well and he can ride alone?" said Estel.

Both Elladan and Elrohir smiled and nodded.

**TWO HOURS LATER**

Elrond looked at Legolas one more time before saying to the others:

"I think we must stop for the night" Everyone stopped their horses and started to set up the camp. Thranduil approached the Lord. Elrond deposited carefully the prince in the king's arms, before lowering himself from the horse. They went to the tent the twins and Estel had mounted for their friend. Once there, Thranduil laid down his son on the pile of blankets that the brothers had laid as a bed. They sat down near their friend. The Lord bandaged again the prince's shoulder. His father stared at his son. The tent went into an uncomfortable silence, that was broken by the king when Elrond finished checking his son's situation.

"And now…what?"

Estel looked at him.

"We can't do anything more. We have to wait until something happens" said the man.

"Meanwhile we must rest. We will do very little to help Legolas if we are half asleep" added the Lord.

Although the tent was small and it barely fit the six occupants, none of the five who were awake wanted to leave the prince. So they settled as they could and, slowly, the dreams invaded their minds and they entered into their sweet and carefree charm.

…

Legolas had been walking an eternity. Or so he thought. He sat dejected in the black floor of the black vastness that was around him.

"But…how am I going to get out from here?" he thought. He closed his eyes a few seconds. When he opened them again, he had to blink several times to convince himself that he was not dreaming. There, in the depths of the darkness, a light glimmered. He stood up.

"A light!" he exclaimed, as he started to walk towards it. However, as he walked, the light moved away and became smaller.

"What's going on?" he thought. He stopped and breathed deeply. "I won't let escape the only thing different of this darkness that I've seen in a while" he closed his eyes again. "I have to think what to do before doing it" the prince opened his eyes and, once again, was surprised of what he found. The light was now a few feet away. It began to approach the prince and, in a few seconds, he was completely wrapped.

…

The first thing that Legolas knew before opening his eyes was that it was night. He was warned by the snores he could hear. The second one was that his shoulder was burning and it hurt like never before. The third one was that he should open his eyes. When he did it, he was greeted by a funny scene. Elladan's face rested on the knee of his twin, and his legs were one bent and the other mere inches from the face of Estel, which lay wedged between his brother and the king. Thranduil was next to Elrond, the former's head resting on the shoulder of the Lord, whose face rested on the head above his shoulder.

The barely suppressed laugh of the prince was enough to make Elrond, always alert when he played the role of healer, to wake up. Seeing that Legolas was looking at him, he raised his head and the rest went alone. Thranduil awoke as he noticed that there was less pressure on his head and moved one foot, which touched Estel, waking him. The man, startled, tried to get up, crashing his face against Elladan's foot, who raised his head and looked puzzled at all sides. Elrohir mumbled something intelligible and then he woke up.

'Oh Valar' thought the prince 'guess who is going to be approached with an avalanche of questions in a few seconds' and, of course, he was right.

"How do you feel?"

"How is your shoulder?"

"Now, that you're awake, you can eat another herb for the fever" Legolas grimaced when he heard this, but before he could say anything, more questions were made.

"What happened in Deul?"

"Why was the king attempting to kill you?" At that Legolas opened his eyes very wide. He had to warn his father! However, something was amiss. How had he been hurt and how had he escaped from the city?

"Ada…" he tried.

"And the man who was on the floor?"

"Ada!..."

"I wonder if someday you will go somewhere alone and return without wounds or a band of orcs chasing you or something like that?" Legolas had enough. Besides, the orcs had nothing to do with it now.

"WAIT A MINUTE EVERYBODY, IF YOU PLEASE!" He shouted. Everyone stared at him with their mouth open.

"Thank you. Much better. Now… can anyone explain me what's going on?" They stared at him.

"What do you remember?" Elrond asked.

"I'm not sure. I remember something about Deul's king who wanted to kill ada…" Legolas frowned as the memories came back "No… Erew killed his own son, Nilen died protecting me…" Estel looked sympathetic at his friend. Unfortunately, he knew what it felt like when someone died for you. Everyone went into a silence.

"Well, ion nin, now all has passed. You must rest in order to heal quickly and be able to get into trouble again" Thranduil said. Legolas opened his mouth to explain that he was perfectly fine, but before he could say anything, a spoon with something viscose was stuck in his mouth.

"I'm sorry, Legolas, but your father is right. Well, he is right about resting, no about getting into troubles."

Legolas realized that the liquid that he had swallowed had something that was putting him to sleep, because he couldn't keep his eyes open.

"Good night, princeling" he heard before he was dragged completely into the world of the slumber.

….

I know I'm late, but I have been extremely busy with all the exams.

Please review, **I really need the reviews**. You don't know how glad I'm when I see that someone has bothered to leave me a comment. I know my story is not wonderful or anything like that, but seeing comments gives me encouragement to keep trying to write more and better.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter nine

Legolas did not give much account of the journey to Imladris. The few times he woke up, it was plunged into a fever that prevented him from knowing what was happening. Half conscious, he noticed how someone carefully laid him down on a soft bed. Knowing that they should have arrived to Rivendel, he let the darkness carry him again.

_**Two days after arriving to Imladris**_

Thranduil looked up. He could swear he had heard his son moving. Thinking that it had been a false alarm, he turned back to the book he was reading.

Legolas opened his eyes. He saw his father sitting in a chair near his bed, reading a book. He smiled.

"Ada" he said, his voice sounding weaker than he had expected. The king turned to look at his son. He jumped up as he saw his son's eyes open.

"Legolas, at last!"

The prince frowned.

"What?" he asked "How many ... how many days have I been out?"

"Two. Not counting the journey." Legolas couldn't believe it.

"Two! But ... but ... but if it was just a scratch"

"Sure! Only a scratch! You could have told it before and I wouldn't have worried so much. And now stay here and don't you dare moving. _Don't you dare_. I'm going to find Elrond." Thranduil left the room. Legolas stared bored at the door.

Not even a minute had passed when he heard a great commotion in the hallway. Before he could get up to see what was happening, the twins came into his room.

"Well, well, look what we have here. The princeling deigns to wake up." Elrohir joked. Legolas smiled. Suddenly Estel came. Legolas gaped before starting to laugh. The twins did the same.

"Estel!" Elrond shouted, walking along the corridor and approaching Legolas' room. "Why on the Middle-Earth are you all wet? And…oh Valar, why do you have plants over your hair?

"Ask them!" an offended Estel said, as he removed the plants "They pushed me into the pond of the garden!"

"Guys!" shouted the Lord.

"Hey!" they said "there are a lot of "they" here, why do you suppose that we did it?" Elrond could not suppress a smile.

"Well, now let's address more important matters. How are you Legolas?"

"Fine" he said. Then he looked at Estel and he started laughing again. The twins laughed too.

"What's going on?" asked a surprised Thranduil that had just arrived. Elrond looked at him.

"Don't ask" he said.

"Alright…well, Legolas, I've a letter for you. Voronda gave it to me when he arrived from Deul this morning" The prince immediately stopped laughing.

"For me?" he asked.

"Yes, for you. From Deul's main councilor. I will give you if you let Elrond check on you without fussing."

"I don't fuss!" Now it was time for the twins to stop laughing.

"Admit it. You do. Always with yours 'I'm fine' and 'I don't need to stay in bed anymore' stuffs"

"But it's true!"

"You see! You're fussing right now!" said Estel, who had already changed his clothes.

"I'm not!... Am I?" asked the prince.

"Yes, you're. And now everybody shut up and let's see your shoulder." said Elrond.

…

"What does it say?" asked Thranduil, referring to the letter, after Elrond checked Legolas' shoulder, that seemed to be healing well.

"The councilor asks for my forgiveness and he says that…" Legolas frowned as he read the letter "he says that if I wanted to go to Nilen's funeral he would be really grateful…"

The twins, Estel and Elrond looked at him.

"And what are you going to do?" asked the man.

"I don't know. I think I will go"

"When is it?" asked Elrond and Thranduil at the same time. Legolas smiled.

"Don't worry. It's in eight days. I have enough time to recover, although I'm already recovered…"

"Legolas!" said his father.

"Alright, alright, I was only joking. I'll wait"

_**Some days later**_

"Are you sure of this?" asked Elladan.

"Oh Valar, guys, for the fifteenth time, I'm perfectly fine, even your father said so!" said the prince.

"I said that in _some days_ you would be perfectly fine" Elrond intervened.

"Well, it's the same" said Legolas.

"No, not really…" replied the Lord.

"Well, never mind. Let's go or I'm afraid we will never arrive."

The journey elapsed without incidents. The elves rode with no hurry, because this time they were not looking for anyone. At the third day, they saw Deul's high towers, which guarded the city. The gates opened as they approached them. As they walked through the main street, they could see the damage that the battle had caused. Everybody looked at them with distrust and hate.

"I'm starting to believe that it has not been such a good idea" whispered Thranduil to his son.

"But it's what we have to do" replied.

"You're right…I suppose."

In silence, they arrived to the palace. The councilor was waiting for them at the door.

"Welcome, my dear guests" he approached them. "I hope you had a good journey" then he looked by the elves, who had already alighted from their horses, and he saw all the people of Deul looking at them, so he added "This elves are our guests, so we will treat them as such. They saved us from a tyrant, you know it."

"At what cost! Ours children's blood was the price!" shouted one of the people who were the closest. The rest of them nodded and agreed. The councilor tried to stop them.

"It was necessary! You don't understand!" he said. The people started to approach them and the elves took a hand to the sword's hilt. Not wanting to start another war, all of sudden Legolas took a step forward and said:

"People of Deul! I know your grief, believe me, I've felt the void that it's felt when someone very dear leaves you, and it's not a thing that I would want to repeat" everybody went into a silence "but every victory has a price. And that price may be very high. I'm not trying to say that the choice we made attacking the city was the right one. But sometimes there is not right choice. Sometimes there is no choice. Five days ago, we lost many lives, and there are some that we will always weep. But today we cannot live for the fallen ones. We must live for the ones who are still around us, so we must forget the mistakes of each race. We are here to honor your prince, Nilen. He saved my life. Twice. On the second one, he paid with his own life. Do you really think that that's what he would have wanted? Two peoples divided and feuding? I don't think so."

At that moment, a very beautiful woman climbed the palace's stairs and stood beside the prince.

"You all know who am I!" she shouted "I'm Neire." Legolas opened his eyes very wide. Neire was Nilen's bride! "I, more than anyone, knew and loved Prince Nilen "she looked at Legolas. "You said that Nilen died protecting you, it is that true?"

"I swear it is" nodded Legolas.

"I've heard many things about elves. One of them is that they never lie. I believe you." She smiled "After all, it's the kind of thing that Nilen would do. And I think that you must believe him too!" she said, now talking to the people "If Nilen died protecting an elf it's because, maybe, they're not so bad. We cannot condemn a whole race for something that whas caused by one of us. Perhaps they deserve a chance. After all, that's what Nilen would have wanted."

The last words remained in the air the few seconds the people stayed in silence. Suddenly, a murmur was transformed into a whole town talking. In the confusion that the elf and the woman had caused, the councilor approached them and said:

"Let's go inside"

Elladan approached Legolas.

"Nice speech, princeling." He said.

"Luckily Neire came… I had run out of pretty phrases" Elladan laughed.

...

From that day, Deul's people treated them much better. The smiles they shared were still a bit overdone, but it was a starting.

"Where is Erew?" Legolas asked suddenly to the councilor, a few hours before the funeral. "Surely he wants to go to his son's funeral"

The councilor looked at him.

"Well, my prince, Erew killed himself two days before you came."

Legolas remained silent for a few seconds; "I'm sorry. Really"

"Don't be. He was a traitor."

"Well, traitor or not, he was a man, wasn't he?"

"Yes, of course, but…"

"If he became what he was, it was for a reason. His wife's death changed him, so we cannot blame him for-."

"Sorry, but…what do you mean with his wife's death? I did not know it had anything to do with this story"

"It had everything to do! Erew tried to kill me because he wanted to avenge his wife."

"But she was not killed by elves, but by orcs!"

"I know, but Erew didn't think so."

"I think that I have to learn a lot of things from you…"

The councilor told Legolas that Erew had not said anything about his son's death or about why he had taken captive the prince, so Legolas told him everything he knew about Erew.

"I'll tell it everyone after the funeral. But now, I think we must go or we will be late."

Nilen's funeral was a solemn one. All the people went. All of them together, elves and men, accompanied the body to the pyre where tradition ordered the corpses of Deul's princes and kings to be burned. The councilor and Neire grabbed two torchs. Then, the man approached Legolas and offered him his torch.

"What?..." he asked.

"It will be the landmark of a new relationship between Mirkwood's elves and Deul's men."

Legolas smiled and grabbed the torch. He then approached Neire, who awaited him. Together, they set fire to the pyre. Everyone looked at the smoke, which rose in the sky, coming in perfect combination with the clouds and the sun, that was hiding slowly behind the mountains. That sunset was remembered like one of the most beautiful ones that had been seen ever by Deul's people. Some people say that it was the last goodbye the prince of Deul gave to the Middle-Earth.

**The End**

…..

Well, that was the final chapter. Thank you for reading it. And a big hug to my best friend (she left a review as Kvothe the Arcane) for her support and to my father for reading each chapter and correcting my mistakes (my father is a fan of LOTR since 1980). Please, tell me what you think of the fanfic.

And now, more than ever, I need your opinion. I've a story in my mind, I left you a preview, but you will decide if I write it or not.

….

Legolas leaned against the tree's trunk.

"_I'M GOING! AND THAT'S FINAL!"_

The discussion he had had with his father just a few moments ago came to his mind.

_"Legolas, you cannot go. Can't you see it's a trap?" Thranduil said._

"_And what am I supposed to do? Stay sitting idly knowing that he can be alive and still doing nothing to save him ?" the prince was furious._

"_It's only been three days since it happened. You're not recovered yet."_

"_And I will never recover if I do not go!" Everyone could see that the prince's eyes were filled with tears._

"_Ion-nin, listen, I know it's hard, I know what you're going through and-"_

"_NO, YOU DO HAVE NO IDEA OF WHAT I HAVE LIVED THESE DAYS. IF YOU KNEW YOU WOULD LET ME GO!" everybody was silent. "Damn it, ada. You don't understand." he looked at his father. " You can't understand "he whispered. Then, Legolas turned and walked towards the door. Elladan grabbed his arm._

_"No, Elladan, let me go" he looked into his eyes. "Please" he added._

_"Where are you going?" asked the twin._

_"To my room"_

_"Legolas ..."_

_"Let me go" After some seconds, he let him go._

Legolas closed his eyes. The smell of blood seemed to follow him wherever he went. Two tears swept down his cheeks.

_The prince stumbled. Again. He was hurt and tired. They were outnumbered by the orcs, and only a few elves were still fighting. The rest of his patrol was badly hurt or dead. He fell near a corpse. He looked at it. And he recognized it. He was Anenfel, one of his best friends. He knew him since their childhood. _

_'It's not fair' Legolas thought, as his eyes filled with tears._

The prince opened his eyes. The determination shone on them. He clenched the letter that was in his hand. He would carry out the decision that he had made long ago. With a last look at the castle where his father and his friends should be looking for him, he said:

"I'll find him and we will return. This is a promise"

And then he looked away and began to walk toward a place from which he might never return.

….

What do you think? Do I write it? Review! :)


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